Art & Galleries
Artist Spotlight: Tara Roberts
by LEANNE HAASE GOEBEL
Tara Roberts first took up sculpting 18 years ago when her sister gave her a 25-pound bag of clay as a gift. Roberts started small, making miniature figures of dancing Native American women. Later, while her son was in kindergarten, she decided to study sculpting at the Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and began making clay pottery. After she sold $500 worth of pots in one day, Roberts' father told her that she must have inherited the skill from her great-grandmother, a Cherokee potter.
Ghost Dance
Starting her art career relatively late in life has not slowed Roberts down. "If you love what you do and have a good heart, just do your best," she advises. "So many people stop too soon. They just give up." Roberts' own perseverance has paid off. In 2007, when she first began incising her pottery, she was chosen to participate in Origins_-_the juried arts exhibition sponsored by the New Mexico Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Of the more than 500 women who submitted artwork, 98 were selected to participate. And of those, only seven were potters. Roberts also recognizes the importance of supporting young artists and giving back to her community. This year she's looking forward to participating in the Harwood Art Center's annual "12 x 12 inch" fundraiser in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 4. More than 100 local artists are each given a 12-by-12-inch panel of plywood and invited to create a piece of art. Proceeds support Harwood's community outreach programs for children and teens.
Galleries:
• Galerie Esteban, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 888.988.1002, www.galerieesteban.com.
• Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 505.242.6367, www.harwoodartcenter.org
Issue: December 2009
